You are excited and unvalidated
The idea feels obviously good and no one outside your head has confirmed it.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to test a business idea before investing in it
Find out whether your idea solves a real problem before you bet on it.
Write down a specific customer problem and the assumption that could make your idea fail. Seek evidence about actual behavior before committing heavily. The example below shows how an interview can inform a test without being mistaken for proof of demand.
Want new features first?
A starting goal
I have a business idea and want to know whether it solves a real problem. Help me examine customer needs, alternatives, and the assumptions I should test before investing heavily.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Separate problem from proposed solution
Original fictional idea: a booking reminder for local tutors. The risky assumption is that missed sessions create a problem tutors want help with. Ask a willing tutor to describe the last missed session, what happened and how they handle reminders now. Do not collect students' private details.
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Read the answer without upgrading it
Suppose the tutor already uses an effective calendar reminder and has no missed sessions. That challenges the proposed problem for this person. It does not prove nobody needs help. Conversely, a complaint is not a purchase commitment or permission to market to them.
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Choose the next bounded test
Write what remains unknown, who could answer it and what result would change your decision. A clearly labeled prototype can test comprehension; it cannot demonstrate ongoing paid use. Do not imply an unfinished service exists, take money without clear terms or invent a five-interview proof rule.
- Best for
- Business
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons
- Pace
- Yours. One lesson at a time, as often as you like.
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Is this a side project, a potential company, or something inside your current employer?
- Have you talked to any potential customers yet?
- What would you need to see to decide to go ahead, or to stop?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You keep building instead of asking
Work on the product feels like progress; talking to customers feels like a delay.
You had an idea fail and do not know why
It seemed right and nobody bought, and you want to avoid repeating that.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06The problem, not the product
Starting from who has the problem and what they do about it today.
Assumptions that could kill it
Listing what must be true, and ranking by how uncertain and how fatal.
Talking to potential customers
Questions that reveal real behavior instead of polite enthusiasm.
Small experiments
Landing pages, pre-orders, concierge versions: getting a real signal for little money.
Reading the results
Distinguishing interest from intent, and enthusiasm from evidence.
Go, change or stop
Deciding from what you learned, and what to test next.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Name the risky assumptions
Identify what has to be true for the idea to work, and which of those you do not know.
Test with real people
Run conversations and small experiments that produce evidence rather than encouragement.
Decide with the evidence
Recognize a signal to proceed, pivot or stop.
Ideas this course corrects
Doing nothing means the problem is unimportant
A person may lack money, access, authority or a workable solution. Ask before inferring the cause.
An enthusiastic interview validates a business
It is one observation. Adoption, willingness to pay, reach, delivery costs and continued value remain separate questions.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to test a business idea before investing in it: what can I do today?
Separate problem from proposed solution. Original fictional idea: a booking reminder for local tutors. The risky assumption is that missed sessions create a problem tutors want help with. Ask a willing tutor to describe the last missed session, what happened and how they handle reminders now. Do not collect students' private details. Read the answer without upgrading it. Suppose the tutor already uses an effective calendar reminder and has no missed sessions. That challenges the proposed problem for this person. It does not prove nobody needs help. Conversely, a complaint is not a purchase commitment or permission to market to them. Choose the next bounded test. Write what remains unknown, who could answer it and what result would change your decision. A clearly labeled prototype can test comprehension; it cannot demonstrate ongoing paid use. Do not imply an unfinished service exists, take money without clear terms or invent a five-interview proof rule.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
Write down a specific customer problem and the assumption that could make your idea fail. Seek evidence about actual behavior before committing heavily. The example below shows how an interview can inform a test without being mistaken for proof of demand. It sits under Business in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Most courses run 7 to 30 lessons. The course length is sized to what you asked for. You set the pace: one lesson at a time, as often as you like. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
A starting goal
I have a business idea and want to know whether it solves a real problem. Help me examine customer needs, alternatives, and the assumptions I should test before investing heavily.
Want new features first?